


The Reindeer’s Gift

by lonefungus (winkhoonie)



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Cats, Christmas, Fluff, M/M, jihoon is shy, kang choding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 16:58:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13275873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winkhoonie/pseuds/lonefungus
Summary: Saving up for Daniel's gift was definitely hard for Jihoon, that's why he unhesitatingly accepted the offer to dress up as a reindeer mascot in front of a famous department store. What he doesn’t expect is seeing Daniel roam around the streets of Myeongdong while he’s on duty, only to walk up to him and ask him for a picture.Jihoon instantly regrets applying for this job.





	The Reindeer’s Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt submitted for our seasonal Nielwink fic project [Starry Nights of Winter](https://mobile.twitter.com/nwstarrynights)  
> !! Do support the rest of the author-nims' works too~ ^^  
> Also a small shoutout to Anne for helping me with the title haha I love you!

Scanning his surroundings warily, Jihoon’s eyes searched the crowd with the limited vision he had from the inside of the ridiculously large reindeer costume headpiece. He swore he saw that familiar figure pass by him earlier, there’s no way he wouldn’t recognise that broad build anywhere. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Jihoon spots himーthe one person he had hoped so badly wouldn’t pass by this area. It was difficult trying to move around in a bulky reindeer costume while holding up a banner and trying to avoid someone, but Jihoon didn’t have much of a choice.

And why was Jihoon doing this again?

It all started a week ago. Jihoon had been fretting over what to get for his boyfriend, Daniel for Christmas for a while, until a conversation he had with Daniel gave him an idea. Jihoon and Daniel were having their nightly gaming session in the living room as per usual and they were halfway through their second Overwatch match, trying to defend their team’s capture point, when Daniel suddenly speaks.

“Hey, Jihoon-ah, I was wondering…Um…”

Finishing off an enemy player quickly, Jihoon frowns. It was rare for Daniel to beat around the bush like this. “You can just ask me directly, it’s fine.”

Daniel ponders for a moment, before asking, “What do you think about having two cats in our apartment?”

Jihoon pauses, attention immediately diverting from the game to Daniel’s question. He’d never really thought about having pets in their shared apartment before. Daniel continues, “Remember the animal adoption centre I’ve been volunteering at? There are two cats there who have been waiting for months for an owner, but no one wants to adopt them and I was wondering if we could give them a home…”

Jihoon tilts his head slightly. The question doesn’t really come as a shock, Daniel had been doing volunteer work at the adoption centre for a while now, and Jihoon knew how passionate Daniel was about it. It made Jihoon happy seeing Daniel doing something he genuinely enjoyed, and to be honest, Jihoon didn’t mind having a few companions around in their apartment, especially if it was for a good cause.

Jihoon’s about to give Daniel an answer, but Daniel notices Jihoon’s silence and shakes his head, smiling gently. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it for now. We can talk about it another time.”

Daniel seemed to have thought Jihoon’s silence meant he was against the sentiment, but that wasn’t the case at all. Jihoon’s about to protest when a thought crosses his mindーperhaps this was the ideal gift idea he’d been looking for all this while. So he keeps quiet, the idea lingering on his mind.

The next day, Jihoon quickly made a trip to the adoption centre. The adoption process was tedious and sorting out all the administrative work was tiring, but Jihoon’s heart was pounding with excitement. It seemed like everything was going smoothly, he could even arrange to bring the cats home on Christmas Day. But there was just one problem.

Jihoon didn’t have enough money to cover the adoption fees and expenses.

Given that Jihoon was just a university student with a tight budget, he didn’t have that much money to pay for all the costs that came with adopting the cats. Sighing, Jihoon’s shoulders sagged. 

_So close, yet so far._

He only had a week before Christmas, which wasn’t a lot of time. Scratching his head, Jihoon starts to think how he was going to make enough money in that one week.

 _’Maybe I can find a short part time job?_ ’ But Jihoon doubts any shops would be opening any short-term commitment jobs at the moment with Christmas just round the corner.

Walking down the streets of Myeongdong, Jihoon’s racking his brain for solutions when he walks past a department store, a small flyer on the glass window catching his eye. ‘Recruiting a spontaneous individual to act as a Christmas mascot!’ It seemed like the department store needed someone to act as a mascot for a Christmas special event to promote sales. Making some quick mental calculations, Jihoon realises that the salary would allow him to earn enough by the end of the minimum one week commitment. This could work out after all! 

Excitement rushing through his veins, Jihoon goes straight into the store to apply for the job. After a short, nerve-wrecking interview with the store manager, Jihoon somehow manages to land the spot by some miracle. Elated, Jihoon jumps around, feeling pumped for his first shift.

_That’s another win for Jihoon!_

He’s excited beyond belief until he reports for his first day of work the next day, only to find himself donned in a reindeer bodysuit too large for his size, standing along a busy street in Myeongdong, passers-by staring curiously at him, and he suddenly wonders if this was a good decision.

Jihoon’s job was only to hold the sales banner in his hands and take pictures with the customers, but being the introvert he is, Jihoon had to admit that he isn’t the best at interacting with strangers. One of the concerns he had was that he wouldn’t be able to interact with the customers in line because of his awkwardness. Fortunately, he wasn’t really required to speak much when the bulky suit he was wearing was literally screaming for attention.

Two hours into his shift, Jihoon had already gotten a hang of things and was beginning to enjoy it too. By then, he had taken a few pictures with a few couples and children, and it wasn’t as bad as he thought. It was difficult moving around in the reindeer costume, but it became easier once he got used to it. Jihoon was beginning to think that this job could be pretty fun, but that’s when he spots the familiar figure of Kang Daniel approaching the store from down the street. 

Which brings him to his current situation. 

Jihoon had hoped Daniel would just walk past him, but Daniel just had to stop in front of the store to stare at him, seemingly considering whether to approach him for a picture.

Great.

Jihoon isn’t really surprised, after all Daniel did like interacting with mascots from what he knew. After visiting an amusement park with him, Jihoon learned that Daniel was more excited about the mascots than the young children were, as ridiculous as it might sound. But Jihoon didn’t want Daniel to know about his plan, he had already gone to such great lengths to keep everything a secret.

Panicking, Jihoon avoided looking in Daniel’s general direction, figuring that it was the best way to shake him off.

_Calm down, Jihoon, calm down…_

Repeating the mantra in his head, Jihoon tried his best to evade Daniel while also acting as normal as he could. He was flustered, but he had to keep his cool and do his job. It was difficult trying to do everything at once, and Jihoon almost drops his banner at least twice in his panicked state.

_This is the worst._

After what felt like hours, Jihoon spots Daniel finally leaving that spot he’d been standing at, and his heart leaps with joy. The torture was over! Jihoon’s eyes followed Daniel as his figure became smaller and smaller before finally disappearing into the crowd. When the coast was clear, he does a small victory dance, relieved that he had made it without Daniel finding out.

_Nice one, Jihoon!_

If Jihoon thought it would just be that one day that he had to deal with Daniel, he was dead wrong. For the next few days, Daniel would pass by the store whenever Jihoon was on duty just to stare at him, and Jihoon would bashfully shy away in return. Jihoon didn’t know why Daniel was so fixated on the reindeer mascot, it wasn’t exactly well designed and the costume wasn’t that well made either, there was pretty much no reason for Daniel to be so obsessed with it. Unless…

_Did Daniel find out that this is my part-time job?_

The thought sent chills down Jihoon’s spine. No, there was no way that could be. Jihoon had even taken precautions to prevent Daniel from finding out, so that definitely wasn’t possible.

Eventually, after a hectic week of evading Daniel however he could, Christmas Day comes. For Jihoon, it meant that it was the last day of his part-time job and the day he puts his plan into action, as well as the last day he had to put up with Daniel’s visits to the store. If he could make it past his shift without Daniel finding out the identity of the person behind the reindeer mascot, his plan would succeed. Everything was riding on this last day. Gathering himself together, Jihoon puts on the costume for the last time. _‘Park Jihoon, fighting!’_

The shift started out fine, but there were more people on the streets than usual as it was a holiday. Jihoon had hoped really badly that Daniel wouldn’t stop by today, but his hopes were dashed when he spots the same person he’d been trying so hard to avoid the past week stop outside the department store again for the seventh time that week. 

Jihoon tries to ignore Daniel by focusing on the customers who approached him to take a picture, but it’s hard to when Daniel was observing him so intensely. To say it was unnerving would be an understatement, Jihoon was so anxious he thought he might die on the spot.

After a while, a line forms in front of Jihoon, couples, children and families alike hoping to take a picture with the reindeer mascot. Jihoon was way too busy to spare Daniel any attention, and he subconsciously forgets about Daniel’s presence.

Taking a photo with the last customer in line, Jihoon waves at the little boy and his parents as they leave. Managing a small smile, Jihoon heaved a sigh. It was really tiring to be in this suit all day, but seeing the smiles on the children’s faces made Jihoon feel happy too.

Quickly, Jihoon checks the time, it was 6.55pm. 5 more minutes until his last shift ends. 

Scanning the area one last time, Jihoon wonders if it’s okay for him to close up early, it didn’t seem like anyone else would be asking for any more pictures.

Jihoon makes a move to remove the reindeer mask from his head when a familiar voice halts his movements.

“Um… I’m sorry but is the meet-and-greet with Rudolph over?”

That voice… no, it can’t be.

Slowly, Jihoon turns around to face the very last customer in line, only to have his fears confirmed.

In that spot, less than a metre away from him, was none other than Kang Daniel.

_Goddamnit._

Internally, Jihoon was trying not to freak out. To be fair, he can’t say he didn’t see this coming, after seeing Daniel walk around this area the last few days and considering that Daniel’s childlike interests made it highly likely that he wouldn’t want to miss out on a photo opportunity with Rudolph, but it just had to be on the last day, at the last minute, just right before his shift ended.

Great.

Jihoon doesn’t know how to respond, there’s almost no way Daniel wouldn’t recognise his voice if he spoke. Calming down, Jihoon nods his head, trying to act as normal as he could, praying so hard that Daniel wouldn’t notice. Fortunately, Daniel doesn’t seem to recognise him, face instantly lighting up with that wide toothy smile and clapping his hands excitedly, and Jihoon heaves a sigh of relief. For the record, Jihoon swears that Daniel looked more excited than any of the young children he had met earlier that day, but he can’t expect any less from Kang Choding.

But what Jihoon doesn’t expect is that Daniel’s excitement exploding as he throwing himself at Jihoon, snuggling against the soft suit, and in that instant, Jihoon almost loses it. At this proximity, he was sure as hell Daniel could tell it was him just by his breathing alone. Terrified, Jihoon tries to even out his breath, uttering a silent prayer to whoever who could hear him.

‘ _Please, please let this end quickly._ ’ 

Surprisingly, things go much smoother than Jihoon expects from that point. Daniel whips out his phone and takes a few selcas from different angles, all while pressed against Jihoon. After a while, Jihoon eventually forgets the nervousness, the familiar warmth of Daniel against him putting him at ease.

Before he realises it, the photo-taking session ends and Daniel’s leaving the store, waving excitedly at Jihoon as he leaves. Daniel’s contagious excitement leaves Jihoon with a smile, and Jihoon could almost feel the same excitement Daniel was feeling. Once Daniel had left, Jihoon finally takes off the headpiece, letting out a deep breath, getting some fresh air after wearing the headpiece for so long. He really can’t believe he had successfully gotten past Daniel for the entire week, and now he had to put the rest of his plan into action.

Right after he’s dismissed, Jihoon dashes out like a horse let loose from it’s reins, bag slung over his shoulder and an envelope in hand, heading straight for the adoption centre. He’s unable to control the excitement bursting out of his chest, reaching the centre in record time.

The staff helps Jihoon loads the two cats into their carriers before gingerly handing them over to Jihoon. “Here you go. Thank you and Merry Christmas!”

Jihoon thanks the staff before stepping out of the store, carriers in hand. Humming merrily, Jihoon makes his way down the street with light footsteps. Now to go home and give Daniel a good surprise! 

Jihoon’s about to walk further when he spots someone walking towards him. His heart slowly sinks as he recognizes that someone, it was none other than- 

“Daniel? How...”

Jihoon’s throat runs dry at the sight of Daniel, surprised and confused. Why was Daniel here? Did he have duties at the centre today? Or did he find out?

Daniel laughs heartily at Jihoon’s shocked expression, reaching out to help him hold one of the carriers. 

“You left the adoption documents on our coffee table when you were out at your part time job, you idiot. So I found out you would be here today and came down to look for you.” Daniel pats Jihoon’s shoulder lightly, shaking his head, pretending to be disappointed.

Oh no. Jihoon had messed up big time. But that doesn’t explain Daniel hanging around the department store while Jihoon was on duty. “But how did you know I had a part-timeー”

Chuckling, Daniel ruffles Jihoon’s hair. “Jihoon-ah, how long do you think we’ve known each other? Just one look at the reindeer mascot and I already knew it was you.”

Jihoon sighs, defeated. To think he’d tried so hard to keep it a secret, too. He’s really no match when it comes to Daniel.

Daniel notices Jihoon’s head lowering in disappointment, and Daniel coos, amused by Jihoon’s cute reaction. _‘He’s seriously going to be the end of me.’_

Brushing the hair covering Jihoon’s ear aside, Daniel leans down and whispers.

“Thank you, Jihoon-ah. Merry Christmas.”

At those words, Jihoon can’t control the smile that widens and the red that springs to his cheeks.The cold air outside did nothing to put out the warmth in Jihoon’s heart. Their hands find each other and fingers intertwine as they walk home side by side. Bashfully, Jihoon tugs Daniel’s hand, bringing the older male closer to him. Tip-toeing until he was on the same level as Daniel’s ear, Jihoon whispers back to him.

“Merry Christmas.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! \\(//∇//)\ Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/optimuswinkhyun) if you wanna hang out and cry over wink ships together ٩( 'ω' )و Happy New Year everyone~


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